Advent 3C - Gaudete Sunday
The 3rd Sunday of Advent is often referred to as Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is the Latin for "REJOICE!" and was the first words of the liturgy for the day. It was a Sunday intended as some light relief to what was a 40 day penitential season similar to Lent. The 4th Sunday of Lent (our Mothering Sunday) has a similar origin.
It's over 50 years since Paul Tillich preached this sermon on Joy. In this sermon Tillich draws attention to Nietzsche's criticism of Christians. He wondered why the disciples don't "look more redeemed". Why so serious? Tillich reminds his hearers that joy is demanded and joy is given - NOW. He draws a distinction between joy and pleasure. Pleasures can be self-centred and can avoid reality. he says that joy is more than pleasure and more than happiness. Joy is something which contains "eternal blessedness" and can be as much a part of the lives of those who face sorrow and pain as anyone else. Readings:
Hymns: St Peter's
St Andrew's 10.45
| Why is it that we resort to the French language to describe "joie de vivre"? From the Epistle today: Rejoice (gaudete) in the Lord always! I will say it again. Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcendes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Joy, gentleness, anxiety, thankfulness and peace are all human feelings. Four of those are described by paul, in another letter, as fruits of the Spirit. We have a choice to live in the light of the kingdom of God (in Christ) or in the darkness of the world. The consequence of living in Christ is the fruitfulness of joy, gentleness, thankfulness and peace.
The peolpe of Philippi and the Bible must have been just as anxious as us. We constantly read of them being advised "Do not be anxious". The angels say it, Jesus says it and Paul says it. We need to know that there is an alternative to being anxious in order to stop it. The opposite is "trust". We can deliberately choose to trust and we can deliberately choose "not to be anxious". Be proactive (value driven) vs. reactive (feeling driven) |
The design on the cover is ?Rejoice? by Nancy Corbin and features in Hidden Voices?Reflections from an Affected Community. Hidden Voices is an anthology of creative writing by clients and friends of Piedmont Care which is an agency which serves HIV+ people and their families. |
